MARCH 33 



really one of our native plants, and surely one of 

 the most beautiful. There can be no doubt that the 

 common wild daffodil, or Lent lily, is a genuine 

 native ; it is found throughout the whole of England, 

 but is supposed not to be truly native in Scotland 

 or Ireland, though found almost through the whole 

 of Europe. The beautiful family is now considered 

 to consist of forty-two distinct species, besides many 

 varieties and hybrids, and its headquarters are in 

 the south of Europe. A few, however, are found in 

 Northern and Western Asia, one in Teneriffe, and a 

 few in North Africa. I do not know whether any 

 grow in Egypt, but on the wreaths found in the old 

 Egyptian tombs there are specimens of N. tazetta, 

 which have kept their freshness wonderfully for more 

 than three thousand years. None of the family are 

 found wild in America, but as garden plants they 

 are highly prized there, and are imported in large 

 quantities. 



The crocuses have not only been very abundant in 

 flowers, but two of the species, the common yellow 

 and the pale lilac (C. vemus\ have held their beauty 

 much longer than usual. I cannot say why it should 

 be so, but here the sparrows scarcely touch the 

 crocuses, though I hear from many friends, especially 

 in towns, that they cannot grow the yellow crocus on 



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